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Coyote Buttes North Permit Lottery (The Wave)

Just received yet another email from the permit lottery saying I don't get to go to Coyote Buttes North. That makes about 12 or 13 times I've applied and not been awarded a permit... Any suggestions on some other way to get one? Any first hand knowledge on the chances of getting one in person on a Sunday or Monday? I'd hate to drive all the way down there and get skunked again.

When I purchased my permit you had to go to the BLM website on the first day of the month at 12:00 and they opened an alloted amount of permits through the online calendar. They would be reserved in a matter of minutes but at least you had a decent shot at getting a permit. Does the Arizona BLM not use the online calendar any longer?

Just received yet another email from the permit lottery saying I don't get to go to Coyote Buttes North. That makes about 12 or 13 times I've applied and not been awarded a permit... Any suggestions on some other way to get one? Any first hand knowledge on the chances of getting one in person on a Sunday or Monday? I'd hate to drive all the way down there and get skunked again.

I was in the same boat a while back then just gave up. I was never able to get a permit on a date that worked for me.
At this point I am about ready to just hike out there and pay the fine if I get caught. It might be worth it if I come home with lots of great photos and star trails.

I think if you go down there off season you have a good chance. Plan on being there two days, if you miss the first take a
Coyote Buttes South. On the second day they'll give you another ticket in the lottery and off season you should be OK.

Hmmmmmm!? I've been there maybe a dozen times? Haven't been skunked yet! As Win said....#1 Off Season .....#2 take a look at the weather report; if it's going to be a beautiful day, forget it! If it'll be the worst weather in recent history, you'll be in like Flynn on a same day "walk-in"! Some of the most memorable times and best pictures I've taken have been in a blizzard!

PS: make sure your 4wd is in good shape and have 3 rolls of quarters in the center console for a quick stop at the car-wash on the way home.

I think if you go down there off season you have a good chance. Plan on being there two days, if you miss the first take a
Coyote Buttes South. On the second day they'll give you another ticket in the lottery and off season you should be OK.

Win

I think this is a good idea actually. There are a lot of other good contingency plans down there. The question is, what really is the off season? I imagine Spring and Fall would be the busiest? Or summer because everyone is traveling?

We tried on the Friday after Thanksgiving and were able to get a walk in for South CB. The girl told us we missed North by 15 minutes! Off season really is Jan/Feb, like Bo said the weather will help in some cases. The time I had North was in March and it was a wet snow mix, only 4 of us out there.

I applied 5x on the lottery for my family of 5. The lottery keys off by the email address instead of the credit card number. Those who never got the permit multiple times probably only entered once. Getting the permit is one thing, having good weather is the other problem. I was planning to get a rain check on mine because it had been raining 2 weeks prior to our hike. Luckily it cleared for a week and started raining again 3 days after our hike. Below is the link to the pictures

Right on, WIN! I go on a cold day in February and go on Friday to the office in KANAB. They have closed the other one for winter. Get there early when they open and you will have a chance to go that day, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. They are closed on Sat and Sun. So, They will draw officially for SAT and SUN and MON on FRIDAY. But, every time I went, I got to go on Friday. Ya have to be there in person. So, plan on doing something else. tour the animal sanctuary and take Bo and Tanya's red canyon hike. Or go into the Grand Staircase. You should get in. No one was there, either. I love Sundays in Utah. The local religion forbids taking more than fifty paces.....so, I get to play and go to the movies and all that with no crowds. yeehaw!! Ahhh feeedom...

I wish it would snow so hard there that I could ski in? Wouldn't that be a trip? whoah!!

A few years, I picked up a walkin permit in mid-December with no problem at all. We were staying in Springdale and didn't even get to the office in Kanab until around 11AM. Based on the handful of people we saw, they weren't even close to issuing all the permits that day (or perhaps there were a lot of no shows).

I'd have to imagine the time b/w Thanksgiving and Christmas is one of the quieter times down there.

yep, walk in is a decent option, but not guaranteed. i've been out there once, and scored a walk in for the next day. it's a cool place, but man, the permit sure makes it not really worth it... and it is only getting more popular nowadays.

right on, C-Biggs!
About the permits? and being there several times and no one hardly showing up?
I heard there are eco extremists who purchase passes just so we can't go.
Just like the ones who buy hunting permits or such to keep the hunters out.
sad.

it has been so so overdone that if you read Kelsey sp? book on Paria he keeps preaching that there are so so many places in the whole matrix that are just as cool. White pockets, and other areas so remote. Germans are still the number one visitors due to the popularity with the pictures they all saw over there across the pond.

the recurring response from every person I have showed it to is how "SMALL"
the wave actually is. It really is a tiny place; thus easy to miss. Nowadays they give you a colored picture handout that really nails it down. And if the wind has been kind and the FREAKIN BLUMS (BLM)haven't knocked down all the cairns, although I don't like cairns, people should be able to find it from the human footprint all the way there and back. I will still go if someone wants to see it who has never been and wants the company. But, I won't go alone, anymore. I am a solo hiker, anyway. People should be able to find their way on their own, nowadays.